Quit Tips

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A Matter of Focus

In the early days of your quit, it's best not to spend a lot of time focusing on the difficulties of staying quit. It helps to shift your attention to other things. If you're at work, turn your concentration to the task at hand. At home, get involved in a project, read something, watch TV or take a short walk. A phone call to a friend is often the most effective tool against 'addictive thinking'. A short nap can help if you're feeling fatigued.

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Lower Your Stress Level

Since most smokers use cigarettes to lower stress levels, it makes sense to replace the smoking with a focused attempt to create a more relaxed lifestyle. Meditation and relaxation exercises are not mysterious Far-East practices but healthy, and often necessary, stress management techniques. You can find many programs, books and tapes to help you find a relaxation method that suits you-- looking in the public library is a good place to start.

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Your Normal Self

Once you've quit, it may take a while before you feel like your normal self without smoking. You've done a lot of things with a cigarette in your hand, and it may even feel a little disorienting to be doing some things cigarette-free. But eventually, if you continue to not smoke, you will find you go through your days without even thinking of smoking, and you'll be feeling healthier and more energetic, too.

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Choose A Healthier Lifestyle

By choosing to quit smoking, you're actually choosing to live a healthier lifestyle, a lifestyle that doesn't revolve around nicotine. This is perhaps dramatically different from the way you've been living. Just remember that you don't have to change everything all at once. Each day you have the potential to make small changes in the way you live. Most big changes happen slowly, over time, and recovery from nicotine dependence is no exception. You're always moving steadily towards better health.

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H.A.L.T.

Remember the acronym: H.A.L.T. When you allow yourself to become too HUNGRY, ANGRY, LONELY and/or TIRED, odds are that the urge to smoke will appear and/or increase. If you're experiencing a sudden craving for a cigarette, ask yourself if you're HUNGRY. If you are, eat something other than cigarette smoke. ANGRY or LONELY? Call someone and vent, or talk to a coworker or your partner. If TIRED, never underestimate the therapeutic value of a nap or a good night's sleep. You're now learning how to live a smoke-free life.

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Fruit Is Good Food

Eat things that are good for you, like fruit. Eat fruit that you have to peel or slice first, like oranges, melons, mangoes, and bananas. Grapes and berries are great, too; you have to wash them. Your hands and mouth will stay busy, and you'll get to eat something delicious and good for you.

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Hang Out In Non-Smoking Places

Spending time in non-smoking places is a good way to get accustomed to being a non-smoker. Go to a library or bookstore and browse through books. Take your time and enjoy yourself! Look up things you've always wanted to learn about. Find a good novel or magazine. While you're there, take note of all the people who are busy reading or studying without smoking. You're one of them!

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Always Have An Escape Plan

If you've been accustomed to smoking during family gatherings, or at social events, it'll be helpful to have a strategy for coping with cigarette temptation during such functions. Instead of a cigarette, you can hold onto a pen, key-chain or even a small puzzle. You might discuss an 'escape plan' which allows you to leave if you find things getting a bit rough. Always keep in your thoughts a clear statement about why you quit smoking and how much it means to you to stay quit under any circumstances. Try repeating, "I don't smoke no matter what; no matter I what, I don't smoke" over and over, for instance. Say to yourself anything that will help you hold onto your determination to quit. Keep a list of reasons why you've quit, or benefits you've already noticed since your quit, handy in your wallet or purse. Take along some phone numbers of friends or ex-smokers who have agreed to take your emergency call, in the event you think you may waver in your quit.

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Keep a Journal

Start keeping a journal of your experiences as a non-smoker. If you get a craving, or feel frustrated, jot down your thoughts. Write about the positive things you've noticed since you quit smoking. Write a sentence, or write a page. You'll be able to look back on all kinds of situations and see that you got through each one of them, both positive and challenging alike, without smoking.

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Anti-Depressants?

Some depression is caused by addiction (and abstinence from it); some is masked by addiction and uncovered during abstinence. You MAY need some type of med, natural or otherwise, to break the underlying depression patterns- OR- you may need to develop alternative methods of dealing with depression/anxiety (like deep breathing, meditation, physical exercise). Cognitive-behavioral therapy, while demanding the most participation at first, can be extremely effective in folks whose depression isn't purely organic in nature. Early in your quit is usually too soon to be able to diagnose a chronic depressive tendency. Wait and see how you're feeling around the six-month mark (though you should stay in contact with your doc).